Poll: What do you think of Windows Phone 8.1?

It's finally here, folks. Well, almost anyway. Windows Phone 8.1 has officially been announced by Microsoft, further improving on the experience offered to consumers since 2010. You've got a notification & action center, Internet Explorer 11, more sound and volume options, as well as other exciting new features.

Following tightly on the heels of Windows Phone 8.1 and new hardware from Nokia, T-Mobile and AT&T have both announced they will carry the Lumia 635. T-Mobile is trumpeting the availability of the Lumia 635 on its network as a solid step from the Lumia 521, which it saw massive success with, while AT&T sees this as one more device in a long line of Windows Phones it carries.

Microsoft will be releasing a redesigned version of Office which has a focus on touchscreens. While it's still fairly early, Microsoft demonstrated the new PowerPoint application during their Build keynote. The applications will be available for Windows PCs, tablets, and Windows Phone.

Nokia Lumia 1520 shows up at Build 2014 in green

We got a quick look at the Nokia Lumia 1520 in a striking green color at Build 2014. Unfortunately, nothing was mentioned on release date, but it's still a great addition to the already great selection of colors. It's safe to expect to see this on AT&T at some point, anyway.

Nokia Lumia 930 announced!

As expected, Microsoft and Nokia announced the Lumia 930 at Build 2014 today. The specs are basically in line with Verizon's Icon: a 5-inch 1080p display, 20 megapixel PureView camera, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage, Qi wireless charging and a 2.2 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor. The bigger deal here is international availability.

It goes on sale in June starting in Europe, then on to Asia, Middle East and India for $US 599 before subsidies and taxes, if you're eager to snag one.

Introducing you to the new camera app for Windows Phone 8.1

Windows Phone 8.1 is being shown off by Microsoft here at Build 2014 in San Francisco. There are plenty of changes coming to the new version of Windows Phone. Microsoft has just announced a new camera app for Windows Phone users. This is the default camera app that all OEMs and users will have access to on Windows Phone 8.1 devices. Let’s check it out.

Hands on with the new podcast app for Windows Phone 8.1

Windows Phone has always had podcast support integrated into the OS. But now it’s getting decoupled from the core OS and will live on as a separate app. The benefit is that Microsoft can now create a richer podcast experience on Windows Phone without needing to update the operating system. All that’s needed now is an update to an app.

Microsoft gets decent clean energy marks from Greenpeace

Greenpeace has published a report on the renewable energy used by major internet companies, including those active in the mobile space. Topping the list is Apple, which apparently runs iCloud and iTunes on 100% green electricity. It’s got a massive solar farm powering its North Carolina data center, and plans for geothermal and solar power for its upcoming Nevada data center. Oregon and California data centers are already being powered through wind energy partners.

We take a look at Internet Explorer 11 for Windows Phone 8.1

Microsoft has just announced the next browser you’ll be using in Windows Phone 8.1. Building off the foundation of Internet Explorer 10 comes Internet Explorer 11. At first glance you might not notice too many new changes to IE 11, but there are plenty of tweaks to give you a better browsing experience. You’ll find InPrivate browsing, improvements in Data Sense, a new reader mode, tabs from IE on other devices and much more. Let’s check out IE11 for Windows Phone 8.1.

Hands on with the new swipe keyboard in Windows Phone 8.1

We’re here at Build 2014 in San Francisco. Microsoft is showing off Windows Phone 8.1 to the world for the first time. Cortana and the notification center might dominate headlines, but it’s the smaller features in Windows Phone 8.1 that really make it a joy to use. One change you can look forward to is the new keyboard. Ready to swipe?

Independent volume control finally comes to Windows Phone 8.1

Independent volume controls is probably one of the most requested minor features for Windows Phone. Thankfully Microsoft has delivered. Windows Phone 8.1 introduces the ability to control your ringer volume separately from your media volume. Check it out on in our hands-on video.

Cortana announced for Windows Phone 8.1, we go hands on

Microsoft has just announced Cortana for Windows Phone 8.1 at Build 2014. Cortana is the upcoming voice assistant that will compete against Siri and Google Now. We’ve heard rumors and seen leaks over the previous months, but now it’s all official. Cortana will be available soon to users on Windows Phone 8.1.

Quick look at the new notification and action center in Windows Phone 8.1

Windows Phone 8.1 is finally here. It brings with it a highly anticipated feature for managing all the alerts from different apps. That’s right. Windows Phone 8.1 now has a notification center to bring all your information into one location. It’s actually a very powerful implementation that includes an action center for quick access to settings. Let’s check it all out in this hands on video.

Exclusive - Video hands on with Windows Phone 8.1!

It has been nearly 18 months since Windows Phone 8 was released on October 29, 2012. In that time, Microsoft’s mobile operating system has seen three minor updates. That all changes today. Windows Phone 8.1 was has finally been announced by Microsoft. We go hands-on with Windows Phone 8.1 to give you a first look at the new operating system.